New and improved consumer devices and components are constantly being introduced and provided in the marketplace. To stay competitive, designs for various consumer devices or products, such as handheld or hand manipulated devices, for example, should meet or exceed consumer expectations for numerous factors, such as cost, weight, functionality, outward appearance, texture and distinctiveness with respect to competing devices or products, among others. One industry where such considerations are particular relevant is the electronics or computing industry, although applications within many others industries can certainly apply as well. When it comes to designing, making and marketing handheld electronic devices and components, aesthetic appeal and distinctiveness can be at a premium.
Particular areas that command attention from consumer product designers and manufacturers can include overall device shape and profile, as well as surface finish or texture. In many applications, relatively complex shapes or profiles for a consumer product or product component can be advantageous with respect to both aesthetic appeal and distinctiveness from the products of competitors. The shape and profile of a Coca-Cola® bottle is a classic example of a handheld consumer product that is aesthetically appealing and also distinctive with respect to counterpart items provided by the competition.
Unfortunately, relatively complex shapes or profiles can limit the ability of a manufacturer to also provide a particularly desirable surface texture or finish for an outer region of such a consumer product or component. Hence, one drawback to designing consumer products having distinctively complex shapes or profiles is the ability to provide a suitably appealing surface texture or finish for the complex region or profile on the item. In particular, complex or irregular surface regions can hinder the ability to sand, polish, buff, paint, apply a coating, or otherwise provide a nice surface finish. In many cases, the use of a complex shape or profile for a consumer product, and particularly a handheld or hand operated product, can result in the need for costly and inconsistent manual finishing processes for such a product.
While many designs and methods of manufacture for providing surface finishes on complex or irregular outer regions of handheld items and other consumer product components have generally worked well in the past, there is always a desire to provide new and improved designs and techniques that result in aesthetically pleasing and consistent outer surface finishes for complex surface regions of such components while also streamlining and automating the manufacturing process, such that more distinctive complex shapes and profiles can be used.